LIS510/Syllabus/1
LIS 510: INTRODUCTION TO LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
Rick J. Block
Fall 2009
SYLLABUS
Bulletin description: Overview of the field. Introduction to the history, functions, and
processes of library and information science, its place in society, practice of the
profession in various types of settings, and current issues and trends.
Course orientation: The course is oriented as a seminar, thus student participation is
critical. There will be four short written assignments: a report on listserv participation, a
report on a library association website, an observation report, and a summary and review
of one article in library and information science. There will also be an issue paper with a
short class presentation.
Course website:
http://www.columbia.edu/~rjb57/lis510.html
Course grade:
Association report
Article summary and review
Listserv participation
Observation report
Issue paper
Oral presentation
Class participation
Instructor:
Rick J. Block
Head, Original and Special Materials Cataloging
Columbia University
102A Butler Library
535 W. 114th St., MC 1111
New York, NY 10027
Voice: 212-854-2237 (work)
FAX: 212-854-5167
E-mail: blockr@columbia.edu
Office hours: Immediately before class
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LIS510/Syllabus/2
ASSIGNMENTS:

News: As you go about your daily information gathering activities (reading the
newspaper or other periodicals, watching the news, listening to the radio, etc.), please
do so as a future information professional. When you see/hear something related to
libraries, library science and/or information science, please bring it in to share with the
class. Please make a note of where and when you saw/heard this news item and why it
is relevant to library and information science work. You may also bring in portrayals
of library and information science professionals in the media. We will spend several
minutes of each class meeting discussing the various news and current event items
which students have brought in for discussion (counted toward class participation
grade).

Association Website (DUE Sept. 29): Each student will visit one website of a
professional association in the field of library and information science and write a
short paper (1-2 pages) that outlines: (1) the mission of the organization; (2) its major
activities; (3) its major publications; (4) its target membership; and (5) its value for the
starting library and information science professional. This information will also be
shared with the class. A list of library and information science association websites is
available at http://www.itcompany.com/inforetriever/assn.htm

Article Summary and Review (DUE Oct. 6): Each student will choose one article
from the syllabus or from a library and information science journal, and write a short
summary and review (1-2 pages). The summary/review should include a complete
citation to the article, a summary of what the author says, and your opinion of the
article. Do you agree with the author’s view point? Why or why not? Was the article
well-written? Was it appropriate for its intended audience? A list of library and
information science journals is available at:
http://www.itcompany.com/inforetriever/ej.htm

Listserv Participation (DUE Oct. 20): Each student will join at least one listserv that
discusses issues related to one area of library and information science. Each student
will write a short report (1-2 pages) on their experience with the listserv. The paper
should include the listserv name, the purpose of the listserv, and a discussion of some
interesting exchanges/discussions among the participants of the listserv. Each student
will also share this information with the class. A list of listservs is available at
http://www.itcompany.com/inforetriever/email.htm
LIS510/Syllabus/3

Observation report (Due Nov. 17): Visit a library, information business, archive, or
information center of your choice. If you work in one type of information providing
organization visit a different one from yours. Prepare a summary report (3-4 pages)
about your visit by describing its key components (services, types of users, staff, and
technology). Discuss what impressed you the most, the least, and what you would
change if you ran the operation. Make sure to include mention of website if the place
you visit has one. This information will be shared with the class.

Issue Paper and Oral Presentation (DUE Dec. 8): Each student will write a paper in
which you examine, analyze, and discuss a significant issue confronting library and
information science professionals today. Suggestions of possible topics follow, but do
not be limited by this list.
Your ideas and opinions are vital to your writing but remember to support yourself
with references to the literature or at least with substantial discussion or argument on
the issue. The paper should include:
(a) a clear description of the issue and any peripheral issues you can identify
(b) your professional point of view on the issue
(c) Your professional opinions as to what you believe could or should be done to
resolve the issue.
The paper should be 5-8 pages, double-spaced.
Each student will give a 5-10 minute oral presentation on their paper topic.
Possible topics:
-Can information be owned
-Filtering and family friendly libraries vs. intellectual freedom
-Telecommunications legislation and censorship
-Is librarianship a dying or growing profession
-The information poor/information rich
-Copyright and fair use in the electronic era
-Information literacy and the educational role of the library
LIS510/Syllabus/4
-The future of print-based resources
-Outsourcing and privatization: Are they the same thing? What are the value
issues involved with either concept?
-The public library as a social agency
-The Super Bookstore (virtual or actual): Competition for the library?
-Racism and prejudice in information systems
-What is a knowledge worker?
-Internationalization of information
-Customer (patron, user) service: Does it matter what we call it?
-Assessing quality service in libraries: Measuring performance and using
performance measures. Why do it? What are the issues?
-Labor unions in libraries -- good or bad?
-Privacy of library records
-“Latchkey” children
-Service to persons with disabilities
-Service to ethnic/racial minorities
-Role of federal government in providing information
-Responsibility of the librarian for accuracy of information provided to clients
-Library participation in adult education (ESL, GED, literacy, etc.)
-Internet: Friend or foe of public libraries?
-The Digital Divide
-Future of the book
LIS510/Syllabus/5
SCHEDULE AND READINGS
Sept. 8
Introduction and Overview; Discussion of Syllabus and Assignments
Who Are We and What Do We Do?
Read:
Christine Pawley “Libraries” in The International Encyclopedia of the
Social and Behavioral Sciences (2001)
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/pawleylib.pdf
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Librarians
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos068.htm
Librarians: Information experts in the information age.
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2000/Winter/art01.pdf
Spear, Martha J. “The Top Ten Reasons To Be a Librarian.” American
Libraries v. 33 no. 9 (Oct. 2002) p. 54-55.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/spear.pdf
Sept. 15
Information Transfer and Information Science
Information Seeking Behavior
Read:
Michael Buckland, “Information as thing,” Journal of the American
Society for Information Science 42:5 (1991), 351-360.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/buckla
nd.pdf
Tefko Saracevic, "Information science," JASIS 50:12 (1999), 1051-1063
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/infosci.pdf
Gloria J. Leckie, Karen E. Pettigrew, and Christian Sylvain, "Modeling the
Information-Seeking of Professionals: A General Model Derived from
Research on Engineers, Health Care Professionals, and Lawyers." Library
Quarterly 66:2 (1996), 161-193
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/leckie.pdf
Michael Buckland, "What is a 'document?'" JASIS (Sep 1997).
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/bucklandwhat.pdf
LIS510/Syllabus/6
Curran, C. “What do librarians and information scientists do? They
ODAPCOSRIU in the I&OEM [definition of library and information
science is the keystone to holding practice and theory together].”
American Libraries v. 32 no. 1 (January 2001) p. 56-9
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/curran.pdf
Sept. 22
Information Technologies and Their Impacts on the LIS Field
Read:
Rice-Lively, Mary Lynn. (2002). “Sensemaking and the Digital
Librarian.”
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/sensemaking.pdf
D.D. Rusch-Feja, "Libraries: Digital, Electronic, and Hybrid," in The
International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (2001)
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/rusch.pdf
Michael Gorman, “Human Values in a Technological Age: A Librarian
looks 100 years forward and backward.” Logos 12, no. 2 (2001) 63-69
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/gorman
human.pdf
Drucker, Peter F. “The Age of Social Transformation” Atlantic Monthly.
274(5):53-80 (Nov. 1994).
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/drucker.pdf
Sept. 29
Organization of Information and Access to Information
Read:
Neil Postman, "Media as epistemology," in Amusing ourselves to death:
Public discourse in the age of show business (1985).
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/postman.pdf
Thomas Mann, "Subject headings and the library catalog," in Thomas
Mann, The Oxford Guide to Library Research (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1998), 16-45
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/mann.pdf
William Y. Arms, "Information Retrieval and Descriptive Metadata," and
"Innovation and research," in Digital Libraries (MIT Press, 2001),
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/arms.pdf
LIS510/Syllabus/7
Burke, Tim. “Burn the Catalog.”
http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/tburke1/perma12004.html
Fox, Chiara. “Tagging vs. Cataloging: What It’s All About.”
http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/essays/archives/000695print.php
DUE: Association website paper
Oct. 6
Historical Mission and Value of Libraries
Read:
Wiegand, Wayne A. "Tunnel Vision and Blind Spots: What the Past Tells
Us About the Present; Reflections on the Twentieth-Century History of
American Librarianship." Library Quarterly 69 no.1 (January, 1999) 1-32
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/wiegand.pdf
Pawley, Christine. "Hegemony's Handmaid: The Library and Information
Studies Curriculum From a Class Perspective." Library Quarterly 68:2
(1998), 123-144
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/pawley.pdf
Garrison, Dee. “The Tender Technicians: The Feminization of Public
Librarianship, 1876-1905.” Journal of Social History. 6:2 (1972/73:
Winter): 131-159.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/Garrison.pdf
DUE: Article summary/review paper
Oct. 13
Institutional Infrastructure of Libraries
Public Libraries
Guest Speaker: Ellen Mehling, Outreach Librarian, Queens Library
Read:
Blosh, M. “Changing the Way We Do Business.” American Libraries v.
34 no. 1 (January 2003) p. 48, 50.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/blosh.pdf
Deane, G. “Bridging the Value Gap: Getting Past Professional Values to
Customer Value in the Public Library.” Public Libraries v. 42 no. 5
(September/October 2003) p. 315-19.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/deane.pdf
LIS510/Syllabus/8
Crowley, B. “The Suicide of the Public Librarian.” Library Journal (1976)
v. 128 no. 7 (April 15 2003) p. 48http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/crowley.pdf
Sullivan, M. “The Fragile Future of Public Libraries.” Public Libraries v.
42 no. 5 (September/October 2003) p. 303-8
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/sullivan.pdf
Klauber, Julie. “Living well with a disability: How libraries can help.”
American Libraries (Nov 98): 52.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/disabili
ty.pdf
Tisdale, S. “Silence, please.” Harper’s Magazine (March 1997): 65-74.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/silence.pdf
Ward, Chip. “America Gone Wrong: A Slashed Safety Net Turns
Libraries into Homeless Shelters.”
http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/50023
Oct. 20
Institutional Infrastructure of Libraries
Academic, School and Special Libraries
Read:
Albanese, A. R. “Deserted No More [New patterns of use in academic
libraries].” Library Journal (1976) v. 128 no. 7 (April 15 2003) p. 34-6
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/albanese.pdf
Miller, M. L. “As school libraries race forward, it's time to dispel some
myths.” American Libraries v. 31 no. 11 (December 2000) p. 42-3
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/miller.pdf
Minkel, W. “Pew study shows students prefer Web to library.” School
Library Journal v. 47 no. 10 (October 2001) p. 26
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/minkel.pdf
Pack, T. “Fulfilling the vision of the virtual library: the cutting-edge
WebLibrary at Compaq Computer Corporation.” Online (Weston, Conn.)
v. 24 no. 5 (September/October 2000) p. 42-8
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/pack.pdf
Neal, James G. “Raised by Wolves: Integrating the New Generation of
Feral professionals into the Academic Library.: Library Journal. Feb. 15,
2006.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/wolves.pdf
LIS510/Syllabus/9
“Libraries of the Future.” Inside Higher Ed
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/09/24/libraries#
Thomas, M. “Crossing over--to the corporate sector [profiles of five
corporate librarians].” Library Journal (1976) v. 126 no. 14 (September 1
2001) p. 48-50
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/thomas.pdf
DUE: Listserv paper
Oct. 27
Information Policy: A Global and Local View
Read:
Neal, James G. “Copyright is dead…long live copyright.” American
Libraries (Dec. 2002)
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/copyright.pdf
Lethem, Jonathan. “The Ecstasy of Influence: a Plagiarism.” Harper’s
Magazine. Feb. 2007.
http://harpers.org/TheEcstasyOfInfluence.html
Russell, C. “Understanding and Protecting Fair Use.” Public Libraries v.
42 no. 5 (September/October 2003) p. 288-9
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/russell.pdf
Holland, S. ”Censorship in young adult fiction: what's out there and what
should be [YA novels with plots concerning censorship].” Voice of Youth
Advocates v. 25 no. 3 (August 2002) p. 176-7
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/holland.pdf
Nov. 3
Ethical Considerations for Information Professions
Read:
Symons, Ann K. and Carla J. Stoffle. “When values conflict.” American
Libraries (May 1998): 56.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/values.pdf
LIS510/Syllabus/10
Ishizuka, Kathy. “Book ban sparks battle in TX.” School Library Journal
(Nov. 2002): 18.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/texas.pdf
Dolan, Jon. "Bad Rap" in City Pages (Minneapolis, MN), Nov. 25, 1998,
p. 10.
http://www.citypages.com/1998-11-25/books/bad-rap/
Nov. 10
Our Users
Read:
Elmborg J.K., “Teaching at the Desk: Toward a Reference Pedagogy.”
Portal v. 2 no. 3 (July 2002) p. 455-64.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/elmborg.pdf
Morris, Ruth C. "Toward a user-centered information service," Journal of
the American Society for Information Science 45:1 (1994), 20-30.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/morris.pdf
Wiegand, Wayne. “Mom and Me: A Difference in Information Values.”
American Libraries 29:7 (August 1998), 56-58.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/wiegandmom.pdf
Wiegand, Wayne. “Librarians Ignore the Value of Stories.”
http://www.columbia.edu/~rjb57/stories.pdf
Carlson, Scott. “Are Reference Desks Dying Out?”
http://www.columbia.edu/~rjb57/desks.pdf
Bell, Steven. “From Gatekeepers to Gate-Openers.” American Libraries.
Vol 40:8/9 (Aug./Sept. 2009): 50-53.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/bellgate.pdf
Browse:
De Rosa, C., et al. Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources.
Dublin, Ohio: OCLC, 2005.
http://www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htm
LIS510/Syllabus/11
Nov. 17
Collection Development
Literature and Research of the LIS Field
Tucker, James Cory and Matt Torrence. “Collection development for new
librarians: Advice from the trenches.” Library Collections, Acquisitions,
&Technical Services. Vol:28 iss:4 (2004) pg:397 -409
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/tucker.pdf
DUE: Observation report
Nov. 24
Defining a Profession
Librarianship as an Evolving Profession
Read:
McGuire, Darwin. Librarians in the Information Age: Alternative Uses of
MLS Degree. Available online at:
http://liscareer.com/mcguire_alternativecareers.htm
Stevens, Norman D. “The last librarian.” American Libraries (Oct. 2001):
60-64
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/last.pdf
Francis Miksa, "The cultural legacy of the 'modern library' for the future
[expanded version]," Association for Library and Information Science
Education (ALISE) annual meeting, San Antonio, Texas (17 January
1996).
http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~miksa/modlib.html
Intner, Sheila. “The good professional: a new vision.” American Libraries
yr:1998 vol:29 pg:48 -50.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/intnergood.pdf
Henriques, Paul. What’s wrong with LIS?
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6396379.html
Kroll, Elyse.” Breaking the Mold: Information Professionals as Action
Figures and Reality Show Characters.” Information Outlook. Feb. 2004
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside//units/bibcontrol/osmc/kroll.pdf
LIS510/Syllabus/12
Marie L. Radford and Gary P. Radford, "Librarians and party girls:
Cultural studies and the meaning of the librarian." Library Quarterly 73:1
(2003), 54-69
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/inside/units/bibcontrol/osmc/radford.pdf
Seale, Maura. “Old Maids, Policeman, and Social Rejects: Mass Media
Representations and Public Perceptions of Librarians.” Electronic Journal
of Academic and Special Librarianship. Vol. 9: no. 1 (Spring 2008)
http://southernlibrarianship.icaap.org/content/v09n01/seale_m01.html
Dec. 1
Student presentations
Dec. 8
Student presentations
Wrap-up
DUE: Issue paper